Fowl-Tempered Pheasant Attacks Mild-Tempered British Family

An angry pheasant is terrorizing a family in a sleepy village in Great Britain by constantly attacking them every time they leave the house.

Sally-Ann Hudson (44) can't set foot outside her Wentnor, Shropshire home without being pecked and scratched at by the vicious bird which lies in wait just outside her door. The bitter bird has launched several unprovoked attacks on Ms. Hudson, and her elderly parents.

The attacks have become so intense that Sally-Ann is now scared to set foot outside her home without gloves and a badminton racket to fend off the ferocious pheasant, which she has nicknamed Phil. She has been stalked by the feathered thug for the past 4 months, and cannot seem to figure out why the hooligan is specifically "targeting" her.

Sally-Ann, a medical secretary, told the Shropshire Star, "At first we didn't really notice him, but then we began to realize he was not like other pheasants. He would stare at us through the windows. Whichever window we looked out of, there he was. It's like something out of a Hitchcock film."

Phil wakes the family every morning by angrily head-butting the windows on the front of the house. He also chases their family sedan, only stopping the chase after the car has left the village.

The family has recently attempted to get the bird on his good side - they have fed him crumbs of corn bread, which they say he just loves. However, the efforts have failed - ol' Phil is still in full attack mode.

Paul North, from the World Pheasant Association said the bird was displaying territorial behavior during mating season. He said, "He obviously sees Sally-Ann as a rival male - pheasants are very territorial."

Mr. North, along with Sally-Ann's family, hope the attacks will end once mating season is over. In the meantime, though, we hope Sally-Ann improves her badminton serve on this fowl shuttlecock.